The shadow - that which is alien to me, that which I don't like about myself

The Projection of the Shadow onto Others

The goal of the human being is wholeness. For this, the shadows must be integrated.

The unconscious projects onto others what one does not want to see in oneself. Thus, in the confrontation with the neighbour, the person can at least recognise his shadows there and has the opportunity to integrate them by loving the other. In addition, the perception of the shadow is also accompanied by emotions and physical reactions from the subconscious. Thus, strong negative emotions such as rejection, indignation or anger on the one hand or strong positive emotions such as being in love on the other hand are a clear indication of the activity of the unconscious.

(more s. The projection of the shadow).

Integration of the Shadow - The Path through the Underworld

[more s. In crisis - the path through the underworld and How do I concretely integrate my shadows?]

The shadow - the inner child, the inner woman/man

The shadows include the inner child and the opposite-sex personality parts.

The inner child
With this, existential fears are locked away, the feeling of not getting enough, feelings of loneliness, helplessness, powerlessness or anger and defiance. Man integrates his inner child by caring for weaker people and also by noticing his own feelings and motivations and lovingly meeting himself in them.

Theopposite-sex personality parts
The opposite-sex personality parts are an idea or an inner ideal image of the opposite sex. This image, which as an idea or virtual reality may well differ greatly from the reality experienced, exerts an influence on the person at the spiritual level. C.G. Jung formulates:

With the archetype of the anima [and the animus], we enter the realm of the gods, respectively the territory that metaphysics has reserved for itself. Everything that the anima [or animus] touches becomes numinos, that is, unconditional, dangerously taboo, magical. It [the anima] is the serpent in the paradise of the harmless man full of good intentions and intentions.[2]

These inner images also have a collective effect. They appear in positive or negative form:

The inner woman, the anima

In positive form she is symbolised by the goddess of love or the virgin , in negative form by the snake or the whore. The man integrates his soul with his female parts and thus qualities such as love, understanding, warm-heartedness and presence.

The inner man, the animus 

In positive form he is symbolised by Christ or the father, in negative form by the animal or the devil. The woman integrates her body and her strength with her male parts. She also gains creativity, decisiveness, strategic action and assertiveness.

Wholeness - integrating the inner family

Man is whole when he has integrated the inner child with his shadows and when he has integrated his opposite-sex personality parts through the positive encounter with the opposite sex. The man wins his soul through the encounter with tender, strong love ("virgin"). The woman regains her body, her drive and her pure love through the encounter with the "father", with unconditional father love (see also The Human Equation).

The goal is for both man and woman to have their male and female personality parts at the light of their lives. Thus they have good access to their body as well as to their soul. So they can love each other in both ways and become one: with their soul (feelings, understanding, love) and with their body (sexuality). The unity and fullness that grow from this are the gift for the mature relationship after the crisis of the middle years, mythologically speaking after the journey through the underworld.